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editorial The recovery conditions We have mentioned several times, was circumstantial and cyclical, not against including in this editorial slot, that the spending, which tended to be rigid.we need to decide crisis we are living through is an asymmetrical It seemed as if we – and also the worldon the most one. We went into it as countries at virtually economy, because of the dynamic effect of the same time, but not under the same condi- globalisation – were on an inexhaustible ramprational tions, and we will also not come out of it in the of growth. In fact we tend to form part of aapplication of same condition or at the same time. We are cycle, whether it is a positive one, as it was, orpublic resources already in the fifth year of this stage of the a negative one, like it is now.and the areas economic cycle and we must not think we are So, recovery means redefining the poten-where we can going to recover more or less immediately or tial growth of our economy without thosemaximise them within a foreseeable period. “extraordinary” factors that have lasted a long With this frame of reference, and together time but which, to some degree, masked thethrough the role with some fiscal consolidation policies pledg- underlying reality.the private ing strict deficit control and a gradual public The normalisation of economic activitysector can play” and fundamentally private debt reduction proc- – and the social need to create stable jobs with ess, which will take time, we have to review the prospects – comes not only through restoring margins of action we have. This applies both as the macroeconomic balances in terms of def- an economy – that of each country – and as icit and private and public debt, but also through businesses incorporating a long-term view us being capable of shaping and implementing extending clearly beyond the crisis, which we the necessary decisions and reforms. In the therefore have to continue working on with areas of employment, services, taxation and prospects of growth, dimension and interna- making use of cooperation formulas between tionalisation. the public and private sector. It also makes sense for us to ask ourselves Concerning the latter, and in relation to what recovery means. I will focus on the case the road network in Spain, we must once again of the Spanish economy.There are circumstan- note the importance of moving forward towards tial factors which, in the case of Spain, fed a a harmonious model that needs to provide the false wealth effect. These will not be repeated, system with coherence, thereby solving the at least not in the foreseeable future. problems of acceptance of tolls as a mechanism Firstly, it was an economy that had to to make the user co-responsible for financingSalvador update itself with respect to Europe and open infrastructure, internalising the principle ofAlemany itself to the world, and which had European payment for use. We need to decide on thePresident of abertis fund contributions for 25 years; an economy most rational application of public resources that based its growth on construction – labour and the areas where we can maximise them intensive but low in added value.A model which through the role the private sector can play. is therefore exhausted. These are some of the requirements of the Secondly, resulting from that first state- moment.The recovery of economic activity on ment, there was an attraction of immigrant a solid basis depends largely on interpreting population (with jobs) which, in just eight years, them properly. increased the population by 12%. Have we ever The dimension and scope of this crisis stopped to think what this has meant in terms should be enough of a reason for acting as a of demand for housing, consumption, mobility, catalyst of wills, where the necessary political taxes and, therefore, in terms of induced leadership discovers how to capture the close growth? cooperation of a private sector which must also And, thirdly, there was a structure of spend- be part of the solution. It is time for agreements ing and service provision by the administrations and action in the world, in Europe and in each which was constructed against income that country. n july 2012 n Link abertis n 3

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opinion Infrastructures must guarantee three broad types of func- tions: (i) articulating the territory and its communications, (ii) energy efficiency and for a crisis environmental sustainability and (iii) pro- viding collective services and social cohe- by sion. Ultimately, they must contribute to JOSÉ A. HERCE the efficiency of society and the competi- A graduate and PhD in The author analyses the situation the sector has gone tiveness of the economy. There are many ways in which infra- economics, his career through in the past few decades and highlights the important structures can contribute to these great is linked to teaching role it can play in overcoming the current situation and research and to aims, not always through rolling out large economic analysis. physical or tangible projects; sometimes by We know that in the 2012 financial money on infrastructures that are not actually avoiding them and sometimes by He is a Master of Arts year public spending on infrastruc- strictly necessary, we must not forget about complementing them with logical or man- in Economics from the tures will be below 2% of GDP. This means the infrastructures we do need. In this agement systems. A dialectic play on words University of Essex (United Kingdom) barely 20 billion euros, when tenders in an debate, inertia and the logic of sectorial could be established between “narrow and holds a PhD from ordinary year before the crisis amounted damage limitation still carry more weight gauge” (as in the high-speed train) and the Complutense to double that. At the end of the ‘80s and than a calm view of the basis of growth the “broadband” as an illustration of some of University of Madrid, beginning of the ‘90s, when road networks Spanish economy needs for the immediate the dilemmas we are currently facing on where he is now and facilities of all kinds were expanding at future and the role infrastructures must this issue. Equally, if we focus on physical a tenured lecturer full speed and work on high-speed railways play in this process. structures it is clear that we will only be in Economics. in Spain was beginning, spending on infra- Growth, cohesion and sustainability able to afford those not representing an He has belonged to structures reached 5% of GNP, and this need infrastructures, although, of course, excessive cost for public budgets. the EU Commission’s limit was thought to be the ideal one for they do not have to be like those we have At the moment, then, there are two body of civil servants, capitalising a modernising economy. seen built over the past few years. Not build- options to ensure that the slowdown in the the Directorate General World leader global companies in their ing these infrastructures would mean post- pace of investment in infrastructures does of Employment and respective sectors were forged in public poning a series of desirable attributes of not cause irredeemable damage to the President Delors’ markets for creating infrastructures of all the economy and society, but the limitation competitiveness of our economy: logical Cellule de Prospective. kinds in Spain, which had just joined what on resources imposes a new logic when it infrastructures and “low-cost infrastruc- He has been executive was then the European Community. Not comes to identifying true needs in this area. tures”. director of the This crisis means a change of paradigm only have construction processes been per- The former are concerned with future Foundation for Studies fected, the public-private collaboration in the allocation of resources and in the trends in all advanced economies. Rather in Applied Economics (FEDEA). models designed decades ago have led these economic lifestyles of Spanish individuals than the heavily tangible nature of conven- companies to deploy tremendous know- and households. At the same time, this tional physical infrastructures, which are, He is currently partner how about the integration of the design, structural change will be combined with however, essential for transporting people and economics director construction, finance and operational far-reaching trends which, driven by tech- and things, logical infrastructures are light of International phases of concessions, putting them in a nology and new business models, are being and facilitate the dizzyingly fast, mass trans- Financial Analysts. very advantageous position throughout the adopted by consumers almost all over the port of information. They can be associated He has also been a consultant for various world. world. very beneficially with the former to make public and private The Spanish economy, after encourag- What is the role corresponding to infra- them more efficient, avoid excess capacity, organisations and ing a considerable advance in infrastructures structures in a scenario of scarce resources, fill in usage troughs and, on their own, pro- has contributed during its modernisation phase, basically changes in allocation priorities and changes vide better communication services, equiv- to many Spanish between 1985 and 1998, backed by Com- to individuals’ habits and values? A very alent to and more cost effective than those and international munity structural funds, embarked on a wide-ranging role, of course. provided by many tangible infrastructures. academic journals. new construction phase much more focused Let us take a closer look at some basic At countless locations, logical infrastruc- on property thanks to the exceptionally functions of infrastructures. Infrastructures tures (telecommunications) are the best low interest rates encouraged by the intro- option, rather than the costly and doubtfully duction of the single currency. The financial cost-effective upgrading of existing physi- leverage this made possible, in the absence cal infrastructures. of significant credit restrictions, also served Low-cost Low-cost infrastructures, meanwhile, It is so inconceivable The right planning in this sense to facilitate the foreign expansion of the infrastructures are possibly the only option for maintain- to spend money on would mean making the maintenance companies forged in the previous phase, so ing the quality and extent of many servi- of the right quality of service provided are possibly the infrastructures not all the financial impulse was concen- ces in the current conditions of scarce by infrastructures compatible with improv- trated in the domestic market. only option for resources. For transport, for example, Bus- that are not strictly ing the basis of the competitiveness of Nowadays, the Spanish economy is maintaining the HOV lanes and bus stations, rather than necessary that our economy with the current tight budget not in a position to allocate resources it quality and extent of high speed or new high-capacity lines, we must not restrictions, while the prospects for lacks to infrastructure projects it does not would be perfectly appropriate. And this the public works sector could be main- many services in the forget about the necessarily need in the current range of should be the same in many other areas, tained at acceptable levels, stimulating priorities, nor will it be in the next few years. current conditions like energy, health, the water cycle, leisure infrastructures any renovation towards a higher techno- But, however inconceivable it is to spend of lack of resources and culture, etc. we need logical content. n6 n link abertis n july 2012 july 2012 n Link abertis n 7

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abertis telecom abertis has acquired a package of 500 mobile in figures telephony towers from report 13% Telefónica in an agreement which includes possible expansion to a total ofDiversification of the telecommunication business contribution of 1,000 towers before the end of the year. Group incomeabertis blazes new throughout 2011. 512trails for its networks million euros generated during 2011.The diversification of activities, together with internationalisation, is oneof the basic lines defined in abertis’ strategy in the area of telecommunicationsinfrastructures, one of the Group’s three areas of activity 228 million euros in Ebitda during theText and photos abertis 2011 financial year. Two years after the analogue switch- launch of 4G mobile telephony services, territory, are added to the more than 3,300 off, abertis’ Telecommunications which must be supported with the roll-out sites abertis already has, providing themdivision is already obtaining more than half of new ultra-fast networks for mobile Inter- with greater capillarity. It is a very importantits income from activities other than televi- net access at speeds of 100 MB/s, four times characteristic in the current context of rollingsion broadcasting. Entry into infrastructures faster than the most modern existing digital out the new 4G telephony networks derivingfor mobile communications, services to telephony networks. from the latest radioelectric spectrum auc-telecommunications end operators, com- tion. “We have been very selective when itmunications satellites, safety and emergency Mobile telephony comes to choosing the assets to acquire,networks, smart cities and the new converg- On 2 April, abertis announced the agreement evaluating the coverage needs and obligationsing broadcast-broadband audiovisual services reached with the Telefónica company operators will have for the next 10 years,”are among the areas of activity where to acquire a package of 500 mobile telephony points out business development managerabertis is already present. towers for an initial sum of 45 million euros. Andrea Luminari, abertis’ current network “The abertis telecommunications unit The agreement, which could be expanded provides radioelectric coverage reachingis continuing with the process of diversifying to the include the purchase of a total of almost 99% of the Spanish population.into activities other than terrestrial television 1,000 towers before the end of the current The agreement represents a step forwardbroadcasting, thanks to which more than year, means abertis’ entry into the mobile in abertis’ process of consolidation as a tel-60% of its income is now coming from serv- communications infrastructures manage- ecommunications infrastructure operator, aices other than TDT,” abertis, chief executive ment market. business model which, although it has noFrancisco Reynés stressed a few weeks ago, Telefónica Spain will be the main tradition in this country, already exists in theannouncing the acquisition from Telefónica customer for this group of towers over the United States and other markets, with theof an important group of mobile telephony next few years, although it is planned to offer participation of companies specialising intowers. The entry into this market opens up the infrastructure to other operators that communications infrastructure management.new business opportunities for the company could share the services.The assets purchased, “The figure of infrastructure operatorat an important time for the sector: the located in rural surroundings all over Spanish exists in various parts of the world, but its level of development depends on the level of maturity of the market and on regulation, which is different in each country,” indicates Oriol Sitjá, business manager for abertis’. telecommunications unit.“In Europe, to date, infrastructures have had a strategic value for the group’s entry telecommunications operators, particularly into the mobile mobile telephony ones, because each oper- telephony market ator rolled out its own network and the serv- opens up new business ice coverage has been one of their main competitive advantages. However, today, opportunities for the when virtual operators have agreements to company at an important use networks with operators that have them, time for the sector coverage has ceased to represent such an8 n link abertis n July 2012

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abertis telecom’s current network provides radioelectric coverage, reaching almost 99% of the Spanish population Five years in the satellites sector One of the fields where abertis is present is communication satellites where, in the last few years, it has become an important oper- ator, after positioning itself as the leading partner in Hispasat and Eutelsat. “Satellites are singular communications infrastructures because they are 36,000 kilometres up, but 2 they are still very sophisticated and highly technical network elements,” recalls Andrea 3 Luminari. As well as its shareholding in Hispasat, abertis is also one of its main users. And among the services it provides is TDT distri- bution. Using the satellite, the TDT signal is distributed to all terrestrial television broad- casting centres in Spanish territory. “So, sat- ellite is one of the means of signal distribution which, complemented with the network of terrestrial distribution radio links, provides a very high level of reliability and notable eco- nomic efficiency, ensuring that the signal is available throughout the territory, regardless of where the broadcast centres are located, both for abertis centres and for third parties that can broadcast the signal,” points out Sergio Tórtola, technology manager in the 1 telecommunications division, adding that it is “also responsible for running the commu-—1— advantage, which is when the opportunity cycle in a situation of economic crisis forces ments in coverage, provided they do not harm abertis telecom in nications for 51 Spanish government embas-Western Control Centreat Tres Cantos in Madrid. arises for an infrastructure operator.”Andrea companies to make more efficient use of competition. the satellite sector sies abroad (developing countries or with—2— Luminari also refers to the evolution occurring resources.” It is estimated that this new net- For Tobías Martínez, “The figure of an very limited broadband access), using the The group is the leadingabertis telecom provides in the sector concerning infrastructure man- work investment cycle will require financial infrastructure operator is the best solution partner of Eutelsat and satellite as a data transport system (VSAT).services to safety and agement: “The model is changing. To date, resources of the order of 270,000 million for sharing because of its capacity to ration- It is the perfect accessory for having homo-emergency networks Hispasat, in which it hasin various autonomous the network has formed part of the operators’ euros over the next nine years in Europe, in alise the existing networks and optimise the had a presence since 2007 geneous communication systems in any partcommunities and for the State. core businesses; now, given the economic an unfavourable economic environment. deployment of new ones, as it is the best and 2008, respectively. of the world, regardless of the infrastructures—3— situation we are going through and the heavy In June 2011, the European sector regu- technological and financial partner for tel- available in each country.”Collserola Tower, standing This year it hason the Vilana peak, near investment necessary for new services, it is lator, the Body of European Regulators for ecommunications operators.” The commitment to Hispasat is a firm strengthened its presenceTibidabo, in Barcelona. increasingly an equation between cost and Electronic Communications (BEREC) pub- In this context, the sharing of infrastruc- in Hispasat with the one.A year ago now, Carlos Espinós, who had performance.” lished a report on sharing infrastructures and tures by telecommunications operators is a purchase of 13.23% from been a member of Hispasat’s board as a spectrum in mobile phone networks. Savings strategic objective and the acquisition of Telefónica de Contenidos, representative of abertis since July 2008, The network operator of 15% to 30% are estimated in the case of mobile communications towers is a very consolidating its position was appointed chief executive of the satellite and sharing infrastructures sharing passive infrastructures, with up to important step towards achieving it, as And- as the principal shareholder company. Until then, Espinós had occupied The managing director of abertis telecom 10%-15% more in the case of sharing man- rea Luminari highlights:“The concept of shar- in the Spanish satellite the post of deputy managing director of also referred to the current opportunity for aged services. In addition, the majority of ing has a long way to go before it matures system. abertis telecom and managing director of the telecommunications sector to develop European Union countries are in favour of and the new role abertis is taking on allows abertis telecom is an the Satellite Infrastructures Division. the company’s profile as a communications sharing infrastructures based on a more effi- us to acquire visibility in the sector as an industrial shareholder abertis’ participation in the satellite infrastructure operator. For Tobías Martínez, cient use of resources, environmental and operator specialising in infrastructure man- in Eutelsat, with 8.35% sector also comes through Eutelsat, the Euro- “the need to undertake a new investment health protection elements and improve- agement.” of its share capital. pean satellite operator, which it entered with10 n link abertis n July 2012 July 2012 n Link abertis n 11

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report Integration of OHL assets abertis moves forward towards world leadership in toll roads The Group is studying the integration of more than 3,500 kilometres of toll roads in Brazil and Chile Text and photos abertis In April, abertis and OHL signed Bittencourt Toll road, Litoral Sul Toll road, Plan- La Calera Los Andes an agreement of intent to integrate alto Sul Toll road and Fluminense Toll road. the toll road concessions OHL manages in It is a solid portfolio of toll roads which Brazil and Chile into abertis. The operation, would integrate a balanced portfolio of con- Valparaíso Limache which is subject to the fulfilment of the cessions into the group, substantially increas- various requirements and procedures that are ing the average concession life in abertis’ toll normal in this type of process, is subject to road business. Chile Santiago de the approval of both companies’ boards. The In Chile, the assets that would be incor- Chile transaction will be achieved through a com- porated into abertis are Autopista Los Andes, San Antonio Melipilla bination of existing abertis shares and connecting the city of Los Andes with Ruta 5 assumption of debt. Norte in Chile; Autopista del Sol, linking the Routes of the toll road concessionscapital five years ago, in 2007. In February, the Spanish Post Office for the full mainte- The conclusion of the operation would city of Santiago de Chile with the port of San managed by OHL in Chile (above) and Brazil (below).abertis culminated a process of accelerated the most recent nance of its telecommunications network make abertis the world leader in the toll Antonio; and Autopistas Los Libertadores,placement of some of its Eutelsat shares consisting of 2,974 kilometres of optical fibre road concession sector, managing more than communicating the capital of the country diversification Belo Horizonteamong qualified shareholders. In addition, in and 225 sites distributed all over Spanish 7,500 kilometres, also taking it into a growing with important cities in the north of the FrancaJune agreement was reached with the China field is related territory for a period of three years. market with a stable concession context in Santiago metropolitan region and with Ribeirão Preto Sao CarlosInvestment Corporation (CIC) for the sale of to services for The most recent diversification field is Brazil and consolidating its leadership in Chile. the provinces of San Felipe and Los Andes. Araras7% of the satellite company’s capital. After configuring related to services for configuring smart cit- After the operation, abertis would also Sao Paulo Rio de Janeirothese two operations, abertis remains as a ies: a new, expanding concept. “This line of Description of assets become the leader in Chile, where it is currently smart citiesshareholder in Eutelsat, with a 8.35% holding. activity, at the investigation phase, makes it The assets that would be integrated into one of the biggest toll road operators, running Curitiba possible to leverage our positioning as a pro- abertis are 9 toll road concessions in Brazil, the concession holders Elqui, rutas del Pacífico B ra z i lManagement of other networks vider of critical infrastructures for public with a total of 3,227 kilometres, and 3 conces- and the Autopista Central. the company is FlorianópolisAlthough abertis is known and largely iden- administrations,” points out marketing direc- sions in Chile, with a total of 342 kilometres.tified with network services for television continuing with tor Álex Mestre. “It is necessary to improve In Brazil, the assets are in the states of Transformation operationbroadcasting, the fact is that diversification diversification thanks to the efficiency of management in cities and Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Santa The president of abertis, Salvador Alemany, internationalisation process, with entry intoof activities and provision of services for other which more than 60% of we have the capacity to help local councils Catarina and Paraná, with four concession stressed that it would be “a transformation a market like Brazil, the biggest economy intelecommunications operators through its with the transformation necessary to make holders responsible to the State of Sao Paulo: operation for the company, as it would incor- Latin America, with great potential for current its income comes fromown or third-party networks form part of its them smart. Our role as technological Autovias, Centrovias, Intervias and Vianorte; porate a large network of toll roads in stable, and future growth. The chief executive, Fran-portfolio of activities. services other than TDT facilitator and neutral operator allows cities and five concession holders responsible to the mature markets like Brazil and Chile and would cisco Reynés, stressed:“As we explained to our Along these lines, it has been providing to have a partner which, transversally and Federal network: Fernão Dias Toll road, Regis multiply the Group’s principal magnitudes”. shareholders at the last General Meeting,services for safety and emergency networks based on innovative technological solutions, For his part, the chief executive of abertis’ current aim is a definitive commit-in various autonomous communities and for helps them to better manage the different abertis, Francisco Reynés, stated that “the ment to growth and internationalisation”. nthe State (Maritime Rescue Service for the services generating cost efficiencies.” n closure of this operation would be a milestoneSafety of Human Life at Sea), services for The assets that would be in the history of abertis, which would achievetelecommunications end operators, cable integrated into abertis world leadership in the toll road business, bothand Wi-Fi access operators, etc., as well as in terms of kilometres managed, with moremanaging telecommunications networks are nine toll road than 7,500 kilometres directly run, and in termsbelonging to other companies, such as Nat- Link concessions in Brazil of income and Ebitda”. The operation would Linkural Gas or the recent contract awarded by www.abertistelecom.com and three more in Chile bring the definitive consolidation of abertis’ www.abertis.com12 n link abertis n July 2012 July 2012 n Link abertis n 13

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interviewInterview with the president of sanefAlain Minc«The French are more predisposedto accept Spanish investmentthan other countries»The new president of sanef makes an assessment of hisfirst few months as company president and analysesthe role of infrastructures in the current economic contextText and photos abertis Last December, the sanef board of Profile directors unanimously elected Alain Alain Minc (Paris, 1949)Minc as president, to replace Pierre Chas- is a civil engineer fromsigneux. In the last decade, the sanef conces- the Paris College of Miningsion model has allowed the French group to and a graduate of theinvest in the long term and contribute to French National Collegerevitalising the economies of the regions its of Administration (ENA).toll roads pass through. Along these lines, He has occupied postssanef shares this strategic long-term vision including finance director ofwith abertis, as it is fully coherent with its the Saint-Gobain industrialinvestment. As a model of public-private group, vice-president of Compagnie Industriali Riunitecooperation, a good example of this is the International and managinginvestment of 250 million euros which the director of Cerus. In 1991company recently signed with the French he set up his own consultancy,government. It is an investment intended to AM Conseil. In addition,improve the integration of the infrastructures between 1994 and 2008into the environment and the services it pro- he was chairman of thevides to its customers. This is one of the the- Supervisory Council ofses upheld by the new president of sanef, the newspaper Le Monde.Alain Minc. He is currently a directorn n n of Caixabank and Prisa.What do you think a profile like yourscan bring to the governance of a com-pany like sanef?All companies require a new perspective,particularly from someone who has broadexperience.Throughout my experience in theconsultancy business I have known many14 n LINK abertis n July 2012 July 2012 n LINK abertis n 15

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Calais Lille Saint-Quentin Amiens Reims Le Havre Strasbourg Caen Paris Troyes Alençon Abertis is the biggest Spanish investor and one of the main foreign investors in France” In the future Langon we are going to see big, non-European investors investing in European utilities” Spain and Italy have Pau begun the necessary reforms. France, which was less threatened, will not escape them”Map of the toll roadsmanaged by sanef, anabertis group company in France.different companies and situations and this growth to prevent its energy being sapped. n n nnow helps me with continual benchmarking. n n n Do you consider that public-privaten n n As a great expert, with knowledge of the cooperation measures in the infra-What is your assessment after these subject, what is your opinion about the structures field are interesting initia-first few months as president of the situation Europe is currently experienc- tives for financing new projects?board of directors of the sanef group? ing in terms of the economic crisis? How States have spent a long time without budg-After three months I am beginning to under- is this situation affecting the French ets, so creating infrastructures is increasinglystand the company with all its specific fea- economy and its development? going to mean knocking on the door of privatetures: at the service of the public, prosperous Europe is going to suffer for some years. Pub- capital to finance the investment, and of cus-but, despite this, obliged to modernise itself. lic debt (an average of 80% of GDP) is essen- tomers to purchase the services provided. InI can now see the core areas on which man- tially the result of three decades of cowardice, the future we are going to see big, non-Euro-agement can focus its efforts, with support during which States have lived on credit. The pean investors investing in utilities in Europe.from shareholders and from myself. cost of the crisis and recovery represents only n n nn n n 20% of this 80%.We should all do what Ger- What do you think about abertis beingWhat are your objectives for sanef in many, which in 2002 was considered the sick the biggest Spanish investor in France?2012? And, in the long term, how do you man of Europe, has done: budgetary savings, Abertis is the biggest Spanish investor andsee the company’s future? increasing the productivity of labour and one of the main foreign investors in France.The objectives are simple: greater productiv- capital, better financing for the welfare state We must put it on show, in public view. Theity, greater commercialisation, better opti- and greater flexibility of the labour market. French are more predisposed to accept Span-misation of the debt structure and, of course, Spain and Italy have begun the neces- ish investment than other countries: there isdevelopment prospects. A company that is sary reforms. France, which was less threat- a greater sense of close involvement, lessa fortiori prosperous must have projects for ened, will not escape them. fear. n16 n LINK abertis n July 2012 July 2012 n LINK abertis n 17

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cockpit, evaluating the changing weather if all the keys to success conditions and taking the actions to correct team had to be summarised the flight variables so we reach our destina- tion at the scheduled time”, says the oper- in one, Gonzalo Alcalde ations manager. would settle for “creating a new project Between Puerto Rico and Spain An obvious fundamental difference of his with everyone involved” job at metropistas is the international environment, at shareholder, consultant and supplier level. It does not affect the duties Juan Rodríguez de la Rubia, under the super- but does make a difference, not only in terms vision of David Díaz, managing director of of language but also in the way issues are Autopistas America. approached and in his everyday work. Even so, Gonzalo Alcalde defines the The keys to success project Puerto Rico as “enriching” at both They were a young team, with big challenges. professional and personal level. In profes- At the start of the project, recalls Xavier sional terms, it has involved a considerable Trafí, “we were a well matched group, work- challenge bearing in mind that he was start- ing in harmony with one another and with ing from scratch with a completely new discipline when necessary.We lived together company at organisational level and with for two and a half months as friends, we the need to make quick, short-term deci- —1— shared work and leisure time, but without sions while avoiding compromising long- From left to right.: Gonzalo forgetting to maintain team hierarchy when term results. “A very practical view has been Alcalde, Luis Palazzi, Patricia García, Rodolfo Tagle, doing our jobs”. Patricia García highlights required, ensuring that the business gets Xavier Trafí, Juan Rodríguez that the “sum of knowledge and additional going, but a very important component has de la Rubia and Xavier Serra. experiences has been the basis for the been the relationship with the Administra- —2— From left to right.: project being a success”. This good relation- tion granting the concession.” On the other Stefan Sater and José Luis ship has left its mark on the metropistas hand, the continuing need to make decisions, Rodríguez. team. If all the keys to success had to be sum- 2 1 marised in one, Gonzalo Alcalde would set-metropistas tle for “creating a new project with everyone involved”. Above all, adds Juan Rodríguez deA young team la Rubia, thanks the fact that “everyone had autonomy and decision-making capacity. The aim was to make quick – just in time, efficient and correct decisions”. Only in thisfacing a big challenge way was it possible to develop a project from scratch, explains Rodolfo Tagle: “With a team overflowing with professional and human quality, you can move from scepti-A small team of abertis workers explains how they have experienced the establishment and cism to success in record time.”development of metropistas, which, since September last year, has taken on the management Development of the companyof two toll roads in Puerto Rico – the PR-22 and the PR-5 – for a period of 40 years At the development phase, when a possibleText and photos abertis investment was evaluated and a business plan drawn up, “we made a number of Last September, a team of people scale normally requires at least four”. For- assumptions and evaluated possible future from different areas, nationalities tunately, says Luis Palazzi, metropistas scenarios to try to model the behaviour of and professional disciplines from abertis operations manager, “in this short period of the company”, explains Luis Palazzi. How- crossed the pond to carry out a new project time we managed to create an excellent ever, at the beginning of operations, the in Puerto Rico: the management of the working team”. Xavier Serra, Xavier Trafí, company moved from a “stationary” system PR-22 and PR-5 toll roads via metropistas, José Luis Rodríguez, Patricia García and Juan to a “dynamic” one. It was necessary to carry the consortium led by abertis and the Rodríguez de la Rubia travelled specially out the appropriate actions “to keep the investment fund Goldman Sachs. It has been from Barcelona, and Rodolfo Tagle from company on the desired course”. Using a a “difficult, risky challenge”, admits project Chile. In Puerto Rico, Gonzalo Alcalde, chief commercial aircraft flight as an analogy,“my leader Juan Rodríguez de la Rubia. Especially executive of metropistas; financial director previous functions were focused on identi- because “it was done in two-and-a-half Stefan Sater, and Luis Palazzi were waiting fying new routes and preparing the flight months of work when an initiative on this for them. All of them were coordinated by plan. Now at metropistas, we are in the18 n link abertis n July 2012 July 2012 n link abertis n 19